Author Topic: Ghost Ring Tracker (Read 1122 times)

Leftoverdj · « **on:** June 22, 2004, 04:04:05 PM »

I finally got around to soldering a Marbles sight on my Tracker. Looks like NEF put the factory sights on to stay. Best I can tell, they are silver soldered on, and I don't fancy putting enough heat on the barrel to get them off. Rear blade came out easy enough and I can live with its base on the barrel. Problem is that I need a higher front sight. Best I can come up with is to grind the existing blade off and cut a dovetail in the ramp for a regular bead.

Anybody got a better notion?

HuntenNut · « **Reply #1 on:** June 27, 2004, 05:39:30 PM »

Check with Williams Firesight. I remember reading a story on castbullet.com about a guy who was shooting black powder in his 45/70 handi rifle. He outfitted it with a williams fire sight front bead and peep rear. I am not sure if what he put on his 45/70 will work for you, but may be worth a call to them.

Leftoverdj · « **Reply #2 on:** June 27, 2004, 06:40:32 PM »

Thanks, Hunting, but Williams stuff is made of aluminum and can't be soldered to the barrel. .45-70 barrel is thick enough to drill and tap for screws, but the Tracker ain't.

I'm still thinking on it.

HuntenNut · « **Reply #3 on:** June 28, 2004, 01:55:15 PM »

Let me know if you come up with anything. I have a 12ga ultra slug which is my stand gun, but it is much too heavy for walking around. I am considering adding a Tracker 2 barrel for a walking around gun, but am put off by the lack of options for sights. I would be happy with a good peep sight and quality fiber pin up front.

Leftoverdj · « **Reply #4 on:** June 28, 2004, 03:25:51 PM »

Did it, Hunter.

Got tired of looking at the thing and ground the blade down to the ramp. Filed the ramp flat and cut a dovetail with a Dremel and a safe edge triangle file. Had a plastic front blade around for cut and try. Got my dovetail to the point that I could just force the plastic in. It's still too tight for a metal blade which leaves me some adjustment room when I get the right fiber optic blade in. Half an hour with needle files and my reading glasses and a little cold blue and I'll be ready to go.

gwhilikerz · « **Reply #5 on:** June 29, 2004, 12:55:59 PM »

I would like to put a Marble's peep on my Pardner. Which model would you suggest? Also which front sight?

Leftoverdj · « **Reply #6 on:** June 29, 2004, 02:13:30 PM »

Brownell's order number 579-123-423 from my catalog. That's the low version contoured for a one inch diameter barrel with the peep blade. I bought much the same thing but mine came with four blades.

The diameter of the Handi is about 1 1/8" so I rummaged around in my junk to find a sanding drum that diameter and chucked it in the drill press to get the right contour. Only took a few minutes. A cylindrical stone dressed to the right diameter would have done as well or better.

You are also gonna want some of Brownells Hi-Force 44 solder in ribbon form. I didn't have any so I made some from round solder with a ball peen hammer. Clamping is a problem. I put the barrel in a cross slide vise in my drill press, chucked a punch that just fit the screw hole on the base and slid a heavy pipe over the feed arm of the press. That worked pretty good. Base was held in place and pushed down even as the solder melted.

I'm still working on the front sight. Just remembered that I should have a sight riser block in the shop that might do the trick.

Leftoverdj · « **Reply #7 on:** June 30, 2004, 12:01:58 PM »

Finished up. A total ramp and bead height of .500 from the top of the barrel shoots to POA with the peep in the middle of its vertical adjustment range using conventional 1 oz Winchester slugs. Brownell's shows several solder on ramps for 12 gauge barrels.

Three shots at 50 yards just ticked the edges of a 3" target dot. Sighting in was done from the bench with a spare sandbag between my shoulder and the butt and was not a lot of fun, even then. Offhand shooting is not nearly as punishing, but my next project will be the best recoil pad I can find. I'll do a trigger job before too long as well.

I do not intend to shoot this gun a lot. It's a carry a lot, shoot a little gun. For whitetail in heavy cover, it'd do just fine.

gwhilikerz · « **Reply #8 on:** June 30, 2004, 01:43:34 PM »

Thank you for the info. Now I need to get busy :grin:

Doubletap · « **Reply #9 on:** July 02, 2004, 03:26:05 PM »

Another way of changing out the front sight blade can be borrowed from the old Smith revolvers. Mill the blade down to the ramp, just as you did, then mill a narrow slot lengthwise in the ramp. For a front sight, make a blade out of some flat stock, width to taste, mill the tang to fit the slot in the ramp tightly, then drill two small pin holes, and pin into place. Make the blade overly tall and file height to fit.
For a rear peep I've been thinking of machining out a rear tang, inletting it into the wood, then tig welding it to the rear of the receiver, bedding the tang in JB to reinforce the stock cut, then drill and tap for what ever tang sight tickles your fancy. Don't know if I'll have time this summer to do all this yet, but if not winter starts about October 1st around here, then I'll have time.
There should be nothing wrong with silver soldering on a base to drill and tap at the breech end of the barrel, then putting on an Ashley style ghost ring sight either. Should make a dandy style slap down rig for a slug gun.

Doubletap

Leftoverdj · « **Reply #10 on:** July 26, 2004, 04:19:23 PM »